UNITED NATIONS A General Assembly Distr. GENERAL A/HRC/8/3 2 May 2008 Original: ENGLISH HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Eighth session Agenda item 3 PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF ALL HUMAN RIGHTS, CIVIL, POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston* ** Summary The present report details the principal activities of the Special Rapporteur in 2007 and the first three months of 2008. It also examines in depth three issues of particular importance: (a) the role of national commissions of inquiry in impunity for extrajudicial executions; (b) the right to seek pardon or commutation of a death sentence; and (c) prisoners running prisons. * Late submission. ** Owing to time constraints, the footnotes in the present document are reproduced as received, without formal editing. GE.08-13253 (E) 090508